The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
10 MW was a theoretical number, all actual TGVs (unless you count the Eurostar as TGV) are a bit less. 400 passengers per modern European high-speed train (standardised 200 m length) could be considered a norm. The newer of the normal TGV derivatives (with their traction heads at both ends taking up place) have 377 seats, the double-deck TGV Duplex has 512.
Average speed depends on the distance travelled, and slow sections (for example connecting line into a major city) encountered. The TGV currently holds the start-to-stop average speed record (some Lyon--Aix-en-Provence schedules) at 263.3 km/h, but a typical average speed between high-speed line stations in Europe would be still somewhat under 200 km/h.
For an airliner, I don't know what's typical, but taking comparable capacity, let's look at an Airbus A340-600: 380-419 seats, and four engines of 249-267 kN maximum thrust each. Assuming a rule-of-the-thumb cruise speed of 900 km/h=250 m/s with a quarter of maximum thrust, I get around 65 MW.
Average speed remains, but I don't know much statistical data about that, I guess you have to ask frequent-flier Jérôme or rely on your experinece (sorry I flew only three times in my life). For the comparison to make sense, you would have to include not just ascent and descent, but time on the taxiway and the check-in, maybe even travel from the city centre (though if you arrive with train in the city centre, often you have to travel too, so the difference is again not clear). But just from the stomach, an example: Frankfurt/M-Paris, an air distance of about 450 km, the time between departure and arrival (is that the time between boarding and exiting the plane?) is 1h10m-1h20m, let's assume 40-50m for check-in resp. check-out, and 30m extra for travel into the cities at both ends, gives an average of about 180 km/h.
BTW, just found this image of an A380 formation flight on the Airbus site:
*Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
And yes, that was a serious question. 65MW? You could have 6 TGVs for that "price". Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
I assume this only applies in non-built up areas, but have I got this about right--Europe (or anywhere) could plant these windmills every two or three km along its rail tracks and have a large part of its rail infastructure powered by wind? Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.
Or build an EPR. :) Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
A high speed international rail network run on nothing more offensive, polluting, or dangerous than windmills. Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.
(Facilities growing up around the windmills...new towns linked to renewable energy...transport to the next windmill guaranteed....)
A european project tying together the various groups in Europe (I think I'm still on topic), reducing emissions, creating better public transport, reducing plane travel, tying us physically to our neighbours (psychological difference between a journey on train and a journey by car or air)...
(So many technical issues to solve. Massive injections of finance to universities, a boom in post-graduate work...) Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.
by gmoke - Nov 28
by gmoke - Nov 12 7 comments
by Oui - Dec 41 comment
by Oui - Dec 2
by Oui - Dec 118 comments
by Oui - Dec 16 comments
by gmoke - Nov 303 comments
by Oui - Nov 3012 comments
by Oui - Nov 2838 comments
by Oui - Nov 2712 comments
by Oui - Nov 2511 comments
by Oui - Nov 24
by Oui - Nov 221 comment
by Oui - Nov 22
by Oui - Nov 2119 comments
by Oui - Nov 1615 comments
by Oui - Nov 154 comments
by Oui - Nov 1319 comments
by Oui - Nov 1224 comments
by gmoke - Nov 127 comments
by Oui - Nov 1114 comments